/readme

My personal README

My Engineering Leadership Readme

Inspired by Matthew Newkirk's Manager README

What is this?

👋 This is my attempt at introducing myself and giving you a glimpse into my thoughts around engineering team leadership.

My Job

I am primarily here to do two things:

  1. Engage, retain, and grow world-class engineering talent (you)
  2. To provide context

If I fail at any of these - especially anything that makes you think about leaving - please do me a favor by letting me know as soon as possible. I don't expect everyone to stick around forever, but if there is something we could be doing differently, I'd ❤️ the chance to make things right first.

How I approach my job

I believe in collaboration and open mindedness. You are the expert, I lean on you to help us make the best holistic decisions we can for the team and for the company as a whole.

The team comes first, the customer second, and the company third. Without a well-functioning team, the product will fail, our company and their clients will not flourish. Your success is ultimately my success so I will go out of my way to help you be successful.

I may not always seem to be available, most often due to meetings. Regardless of how busy I am, nothing is more important than the time I can spend with you. If you need to chat - find time on my calendar - no need to ask. If you can't find time, I will make time.

My Goals

If I accomplish my goals it means that:

  • You feel empowered as a leader to figure out what you need to do and how you think it should be done and then to get it done
  • You have enough context to understand your priority and focus over the next month or quarter
  • We have a clear roadmap

The Team

If I describe my ideal for our team and each person on it, it is that we:

  • Have each other’s back
  • Feel comfortable to ask for help
  • Take control of, and responsibility for, our own destiny
  • Hold each other accountable
  • Expect excellence in ourselves and each other
  • Assume positive intent
  • Constantly learn
  • Laugh together

Scheduling

  • You are always welcome and encouraged to book some time for us to chat.
  • If you need/want to talk to me, and my schedule is not open, DM me on Slack and I’ll make sure we talk that day.

Comms

  • Nothing (other than a global pandemic) beats face-to-face in-person communication
  • Our next best option is face-to-face video
  • I try to be as responsive as possible via Slack
  • I check email in the morning and at the end of the day
  • Never hesitate to call me if you have something urgent

1:1s

  • 1:1s are very important to me because they are dedicated space for you to talk about anything and everything you want
  • They are meetings primarily for you, and only secondarily for me
  • It’s not a status meeting, unless you want to talk about status
  • 1:1s are flexible -- they can shift and change to fit around our shifting schedules
  • Don’t save urgent matters for a 1:1

Feedback

  • More than any other factor, candid and compassionate feedback is central to a cohesive high-functioning team
  • Feedback is best received in the context of psychological safety – I want you to know that my primary desire is for you to be happy and fulfilled
  • If matters are not going well, I am always open to making it right. Any concerns are absolutely recoverable, and recovering from difficult situations builds trust. If we can accept feedback, acknowledge our role in the situation, and are willing and capable of changing, growing, and improving, anything can be worked out.

References